"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
To help keep you all informed, this page will be updated regularly with a status of Barb's pacemaker battery replacement.
Note: The most current is at the top of the page, but you can start from the bottom to get "caught up."
We also published a Ministry Update titled "God of this City" that tries to put this trip in context. To read it in its entirety, click here. Happy Mother's Day Since Barb is in PA on Mother's Day, the boys created some video messages to her on this page (click here)...
To return to the missionaries' page of the site, please click here.
May 16, 2009 (Satuday) Barb has returned safely (and actually a few minutes early). She is doing great! Thanks for your prayers, support, and encouragement.
May 13, 2009 (Wednesday) We have clearance! Praise God! Barb's appointment today went perfectly. She has been given the green light and will have her next appointment in about 3 months. Until then, she is free to come home & will return to the boys and me on Saturday (in time for 1-our Lusher Parents Praying evening on Saturday, 2-Josiah's dance recital on Sunday, and 3-Josiah's Drama performance on Tuesday). Thanks to each of you for your prayers and your concerns!!
May 11, 2009 (Monday) Daniel can now count on 1 hand how many days until Mom gets home. That is an exciting milestone! Barb's progress seems to be strong (as far as she can tell). Hopefully the doctor will confirm that when she has her appointment on Wednesday. By the way, the boys did video cards for Barb since she wasn't going to be with us on Mother's Day. There's a link on the top of the page if you want to peek at them.
May 7, 2009 (Thursday - directly from Barb!) To all my fellow prayer warriors, I can’t thank you all enough for going into the throne room on my behalf during this time. The surgery was a great success and the recovery is going along well too. The pain at the incision is slight which is to be expected and the skin appears to be infection free. Hallelujah!!!! Continued prayers for a swift and uneventful healing are requested. Thanks also for all the prayers offered up on behalf of Paul and the boys. It has been hard being apart from each other especially during this but God has been so faithful in taking care of us all. I’m heading to my parents for the weekend so continued prayers for a great time of healing and refreshing there as well. You all mean so much to me personally and corporately. Nothing stirs my heart so as when the brethren are in unity, even when it’s for bearing another’s burden before the Lord Most High. Our whole family is indebted to you all. May you each know that we receive your prayers, love and encouragement and as a result are forever changed.
With much love Thanks again, Barb
May 6, 2009 (Wednesday) I spoke with my beloved this morning. Her left arm/shoulder are pretty sore, but our friend has restricted to her being a coach potato for a few days (definitely a challenge for Barb). She was able to schedule her follow-up appointment with the pacemaker folks for next Wednesday (May 13) at 1:00 EDT. Pray for a speedy recovery and effective healing for her. They did put in some non-dissolvable stitches that will need to be removed (which wasn't the original plan, but required due to her pacemaker having shifted, I guess). With her having a Wednesday appointment, it gives her 2 days for any extra care needed before her scheduled return on May 16. I'll probably only update this page every 2-3 days from here on out, unless something unexpected occurs.
May 5, 2009 (Tuesday 6:45pm EDT) While it was good to hear from a friend that the doctor said that Barb was fine, there's just something a little bit better about hearing that same thing come directly from Barb. She just called, and she sounds great. She had just eaten a few crackers (she was a little hungry having fasted since 11pm or so last night). But she sounded "just like Barb" (lots of energy and enthusiasm) when we talked. Her next few days are planned as down days to rest and then she will head out to visit her parents and siblings. It's still early to know dates and such, but it sounds like it may be late next week until her follow-up visit (the doctor was indicating the full 10 days) so we likely won't have her home until May 16.
May 5, 2009 (Tuesday 4:15pm EDT) I haven't spoke with Barb yet, but our friend that's on-site just called me. Barb did fine; she's still recovering and should be out of anesthesia in about 30 minutes. Her pacemaker had shifted so they couldn't use the old incision and needed to make a new one. She needs to get a 2nd dose of antibiotic around 8:00 EDT and should be discharged an hour later. I will probably put 1 more update on the site tonight after I've actually talked to her. Thanks so much for your prayers!
May 5, 2009 (Tuesday afternoon) Still waiting... Although the billing folks at the hospital were very timely (they called for a payment 30 minutes before the scheduled time of the procedure), Barb is still in a holding pattern at 2:45 EDT (1:45 CDT). She's prepped & waiting. They have told her that once she's in (whenever that is), it will be about 30-45 minutes. It's all good though - it is in God's hands...
May 5, 2009 (Tuesday morning) Today's the big day. Barb took advantage of being able to sleep in today so she's pretty well rested. She & I prayed this morning over the phone. Daniel prayed for her, too. Several of her buddies tracked her down this morning as well. I think we're all (Barb included) just ready to have the procedure done - let's get moving... But it's all God's timing so pray for the surgeon and others on the team. Pray for Barb. Thanks for all of your notes - we appreciate your support!
May 4, 2009 (Monday afternoon) CHANGE in times. We just got word that her procedure will be at 2pm on Tuesday (that's 1pm Central) and she needs to be there 2 hours early. While that extends her fasting time, that probably works out better for those of you that want to be praying during the surgery, but weren't quite expecting to be up that early.
May 4, 2009 (Monday morning) Well, the times are not definite yet, but they should be close. I appreciate all of your concern for her (and us). As it stands now, she has a 6am arrival for an 8am procedure on Tuesday. For those of you on Central time like us, it's 5am & 7am here in LA. The surgery will be at St. Joseph's Hospital (now called Regional Hospital or something like that). It's where both Andrew & Josiah were born (pre-missions life). I'll publish more info later today as we find it out.
May 3, 2009 (Sunday) Not much new to report. Barb's not had any more bouts of the vertigo (thanks for your prayers). She's been enjoying some time with friends in the Philadelphia area. She heads back to Lancaster County tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow should also yield more details about what lies in store for Tuesday's surgery. As soon as we learn something, I'll add it to the notes here. We appreciate your caring for her/us!
May 1, 2009 (Friday) Barb went to meet with the surgeon today so this was to be the big day to set in motion the rest of her trip. She had an EKG done and met with Dr. Singh. During that meeting they discovered that her last bloodwork was in 2004 (oops! a peril of life on the road, I guess). Mondays are busy days so they tentatively scheduled her for surgery on Tuesday May 5 (with a to-be-determined-later time). She will need to also have chest x-ray done that morning.
While having lunch with a friend after all of her appointments, she had a brief spell of vertigo and was very flushed. She and the friend prayed her through that and she has seemed to be fine since then. She's now with another friend in DE. So unless something major occurs, the next update on this page probably won't happen until Monday when we hear a time for her surgery.
Beyond that, I'm triple-booked in ministry and as a dad this weekend. Fortunately several people are helping to shuttle boys and accomplish tasks; I'm intending to touch a little bit of it all this weekend. Then the schedule in LA should slow tremendously.
April 30, 2009 (Thursday) Today was pretty basic. Barb had an echocardiogram done on her. Then they sent her home. Tomorrow she meets with the surgeon so we should know more of the plan at that point.
April 29, 2009 (Wednesday) We had a great time away with the Pastors and their spouses. It was a time of refreshing as enjoyed laughing together, sharing together, and praying together. They had a special time of prayer for Barb and anointed her with oil - it was a powerful time. Other than needing to rush to make her connecting flight, Barb's trip to PA was pretty uneventful. She has an echo on Thursday and meets with the surgeon on Friday.
April 28, 2009 (Tuesday) Barb hugged on the boys today. She & I go away to a Pastors and Spouses Marriage Retreat overnight in Baton Rouge. It will be a great time with the men and women of God from New Orleans before Barb heads off to PA. At its conclusion, I will drop her at the airport and return to gather the boys up from their various locations.
March 29, 2009 (Sunday) When we left for New Orleans last summer, we knew that Barb's pacemaker battery was likely on its last year. Ideally it would've made it until this coming summer and would've been dealt with on our summer trip; however, that is not the case.
In her phone check-up about a week or so ago, they determined that it kicked into its reserve on March 9 (estimating about 3 months remain at that time). June 9 cuts it a little too close for our trip to PA. So Barb will be making a solo trip (flying) home before we then drive up. It will be about a 2-week trip for her. We had someone donate frequent flyer miles to help towards the cost of the trip. She's scheduled to leave out of New Orleans during the late afternoon of Wednedsday, April 29. Her tentative return to New Orleans is scheduled for Saturday May 16, but that will depend on several variables after she goes to her 1st two appointments on April 30 and May 1 in PA.
In the meantime, please pray for: * Peace and patience in our household * Extended life of the battery * Favor with travel (the air miles have been a blessing as has a friend who will see that Barb gets transported as needed in PA) * Favor on my schedule with the boys while she's away (it will involve some juggling, some vacation days, and support of friends for unmovable items) * Anything else that comes to your mind
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